---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In some far-off distant time, when the…"
description: "\"In some far-off distant time, when the twentieth century history of primitive computing is just a murky memory, someone is likely to suppose that devic..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c29/charles-petzold-26181_century_in-some-far-off-distant-time-when-the-tw_1207329.jpg"
---

#  In some far-off distant time, when the twentieth century…

![“In some far-off distant time, when the twentieth century history of primitive computing is just a murky memory, someone is likely to suppose that devices known as logic gates were named after the famous co-founder of Microsoft Corporation” quote by Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c29/charles-petzold-26181_century_in-some-far-off-distant-time-when-the-tw_1207329.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c29/charles-petzold-26181_century_in-some-far-off-distant-time-when-the-tw_1207329.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c29/charles-petzold-26181_century_in-some-far-off-distant-time-when-the-tw_1207329.jpg)

> “In some far-off distant time, when the twentieth century history of primitive computing is just a murky memory, someone is likely to suppose that devices known as logic gates were named after the famous co-founder of Microsoft Corporation”

[Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote humorously suggests future generations might mistakenly think “logic gates” were named after Bill Gates, highlighting how historical context can be lost over time.

**In simple terms:** People may forget origins of technical terms.

Key Takeaway

Beware of assuming naming origins without research.

Themes

history technology misconception language legacy

Mood

reflective amusing cautious

Type

historical humorous educational

When to use this quote

- education
- software development
- historical research
- museum curation

Key Concepts

etymology cultural memory technological evolution

Questions to Reflect On

- How might other tech terms be misattributed?
- What steps can preserve accurate tech history?

A Different Perspective

Assuming origins without evidence can spread misinformation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Computing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computing/) [Corporations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporations/) [Founders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/founders/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logic/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Primitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primitive/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Twentieth century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twentieth-century/)

## Related quotes

> [“If we wanted to do a second calculation on our domino computer, it would take another day to stand all the dominoes back up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-parker/if-we-wanted-to-do-a-second-calculation-on-our-domino-computer-it/)

[Matt Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-parker/)

> [When time permits, I try to see interesting people in the cities I visit. In Seattle, I met Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/when-time-permits-i-try-to-see-interesting-people-in-the-cities-i/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [There are some things that money can't buy: peace of mind, for starters, and lean muscle mass. Neither the Queen of England nor the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-moran/there-are-some-things-that-money-can-t-buy-peace-of-mind-for-starters/)

[Victoria Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-moran/)

> [Cultural perspective on gender diversity in computing,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenore-blum/cultural-perspective-on-gender-diversity-in-computing/)

Lenore Blum

> [I think that it's extraordinarily important that we in computer science keep fun in computing. When it started out, it was an awful lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/i-think-that-it-s-extraordinarily-important-that-we-in-computer/)

[Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/)

> [Automobiles and the automotive industry are increasingly driven by data and computing. The saying 'What's under the hood' will increasingly refer to computing, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krzanich/automobiles-and-the-automotive-industry-are-increasingly-driven-by/)

[Brian Krzanich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krzanich/)

> [If we don't figure out a way to have secure, connected healthcare, or connectivity and computing, we won't have that industry develop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-mollenkopf/if-we-don-t-figure-out-a-way-to-have-secure-connected-healthcare-or/)

[Steve Mollenkopf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-mollenkopf/)

> [Umoja ni nguvu,utengano ni udhaifu.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ngoge-nyabuto/umoja-ni-nguvu-utengano-ni-udhaifu/)

KEVIN NGOGE NYABUTO

> [Traditional computing is always going to be a part of AMD's business, but our technology can go further.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-su/traditional-computing-is-always-going-to-be-a-part-of-amd-s-business/)

[Lisa Su](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-su/)

> [I think it's fair to say that the age of traditional computing is dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-su/i-think-it-s-fair-to-say-that-the-age-of-traditional-computing-is-dead/)

[Lisa Su](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-su/)

> [The computing scientist's main challenge is not to get confused by the complexities of his own making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/the-computing-scientist-s-main-challenge-is-not-to-get-confused-by/)

[Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/)

> [At every juncture, advanced tools have been the key to a new wave of applications, and each wave of applications has been key to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/at-every-juncture-advanced-tools-have-been-the-key-to-a-new-wave-of/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [The hope is that, in not too many years, human brains and computing machines will be coupled together very tightly, and that the resulting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-r-licklider/the-hope-is-that-in-not-too-many-years-human-brains-and-computing/)

[J. C. R. Licklider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-r-licklider/)

> [Many jobs at Google require math, computing, and coding skills, so if your good grades truly reflect skills in those areas that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/many-jobs-at-google-require-math-computing-and-coding-skills-so-if/)

[Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/)

> [These are the men who, without virtue, labour, or hazard, are growing rich, as their country is impoverished; they rejoice, when obstinacy or ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/these-are-the-men-who-without-virtue-labour-or-hazard-are-growing/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

## More by Charles Petzold

> [“In 1948, while working for Bell Telephone Laboratories, he published a paper in the Bell System Technical Journal entitled "A Mathematical Theory of Communication"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/in-1948-while-working-for-bell-telephone-laboratories-he-published-a/)

[Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/)

> [MIDI made a natural transition to the PC. The MIDI messages that make up a musical composition can be saved as MIDI files, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/midi-made-a-natural-transition-to-the-pc-the-midi-messages-that-make/)

[Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/)

> [To a programmer, an operating system is defined by its API.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/to-a-programmer-an-operating-system-is-defined-by-its-api/)

[Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/)

> [I started out with machine code and assembly language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/i-started-out-with-machine-code-and-assembly-language/)

[Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/)

> [You probably don't have much of a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/you-probably-don-t-have-much-of-a-choice/)

[Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/)

> [All modern MIDI synthesizers are capable of polyphony, which means they can play more than one note at a time and more than one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/all-modern-midi-synthesizers-are-capable-of-polyphony-which-means/)

[Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/)

> [Computer monitors can operate in many different video modes. In most cases, the decision about how many pixels and colors to display is yours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/computer-monitors-can-operate-in-many-different-video-modes-in-most/)

[Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/)

> [Many MIDI files contain entire musical compositions. Because MIDI supports only 16 channels, however, no more than 16 different instruments can play at any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/many-midi-files-contain-entire-musical-compositions-because-midi/)

[Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/)

> [I felt more like a scientist exploring nature, and Windows was my environment. You don't pass judgment on nature; you just explain how it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/i-felt-more-like-a-scientist-exploring-nature-and-windows-was-my/)

[Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/)

> [Some programs - especially games - require that your system be set to a particular color depth and resolution. Often such special settings are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/some-programs-especially-games-require-that-your-system-be-set-to-a/)

[Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/)

> [The human species is often amazingly inventive and industrious but at the same time profoundly lazy. It's very clear that we humans don't like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/the-human-species-is-often-amazingly-inventive-and-industrious-but-at/)

[Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/)

> [Free lunches don't come cheap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/free-lunches-don-t-come-cheap/)

[Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/)

> [I felt more like a scientist exploring nature, and Windows was my environment. You dont pass judgment on nature; you just explain how it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/i-felt-more-like-a-scientist-exploring-nature-and-windows-was-my-2/)

[Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/)

> [Programming in machine code is like eating with a toothpick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/programming-in-machine-code-is-like-eating-with-a-toothpick/)

[Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/)

> [A MIDI file contains coded instructions to play a particular series of notes on an electronic music synthesizer. A MIDI file is more like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/a-midi-file-contains-coded-instructions-to-play-a-particular-series/)

[Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/)

[Explore all 22 Charles Petzold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/)

## More Century quotes

> [I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-always-that-i-am-an-outsider-a-stranger-in-this-century-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/)

[Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/)

> [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The poetry from the eighteenth century was prose; the prose from the seventeenth century was poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/the-poetry-from-the-eighteenth-century-was-prose-the-prose-from-the/)

[David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/)

[Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/)

> [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/)

[Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/)

> [At no time in the past century has public distrust of the government been so broadly distributed across the political spectrum, as it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-zimmermann/at-no-time-in-the-past-century-has-public-distrust-of-the-government/)

[Phil Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-zimmermann/)

> [While husbands and lovers in the stories are of all kinds, ranging from sympathetic to disgusting, women are invariably deceivers: inconstant, unscrupulous, quarrelsome, querulous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/while-husbands-and-lovers-in-the-stories-are-of-all-kinds-ranging/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [The young people today are the 21st century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/the-young-people-today-are-the-21st-century/)

[Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/)

> [The wisdom of our actions in the first three years of peace will determine the course of world history for half a century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/the-wisdom-of-our-actions-in-the-first-three-years-of-peace-will/)

[Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/)

> [For me, the melancholy of the late XXth Century is walking late at night by the Mont Blanc pen store and seeing these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/for-me-the-melancholy-of-the-late-xxth-century-is-walking-late-at/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [In a general way, the literature of the twentieth century is essentially psychological; and psychology consists of describing states of the soul by displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-a-general-way-the-literature-of-the-twentieth-century-is/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [Consequently, citizen legislators, rotating back to their communities after a short period of public service—considered an indispensable and routine characteristic and design of representative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/consequently-citizen-legislators-rotating-back-to-their-communities/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

Browse all 5,406 Century quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In some far-off distant time, when the twentieth century history of primitive computing is just a murky memory, someone is likely to suppose that devices known as logic gates were named after the famous co-founder of Microsoft Corporation",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Petzold"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/in-some-far-off-distant-time-when-the-twentieth-century-history-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Century"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/in-some-far-off-distant-time-when-the-twentieth-century-history-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c29/charles-petzold-26181_century_in-some-far-off-distant-time-when-the-tw_1207329.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c29/charles-petzold-26181_century_in-some-far-off-distant-time-when-the-tw_1207329.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c29/charles-petzold-26181_century_in-some-far-off-distant-time-when-the-tw_1207329.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In some far-off distant time, when the twentieth century history of primitive computing is just a murky…” — Charles Petzold",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Charles Petzold",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In some far-off distant time, when...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/in-some-far-off-distant-time-when-the-twentieth-century-history-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/in-some-far-off-distant-time-when-the-twentieth-century-history-of/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
